Nail clippers

ABSTRACT

A nail clipping apparatus designed to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. Synthetic nail clippers are easier to manufacture and much more cost-effective than metallic clippers. However, synthetic clippers often produce results that are unsatisfying due to the flexible nature of synthetic materials. Such unsatisfactory performance can result in injury and imprecise cutting. This invention has undertaken to remedy the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide an economical synthetic clipper body with separate metallic cutting portions, along with a catch-lock mechanism and several alignment components that result in a newer nail clipping apparatus which is both precise and cost-effective.

[0001] The invention relates to nail clippers according to the conceptof patent claim 1.

[0002] Similar nail clippers are known from FR-PS 996 752 and, in theform of so-called nail snippers from DE-PS 478 585 and U.S. Pat. No.1,721,415. In addition, it is already known, for example, from DE-OS 3043 552, to manufacture the body of nail clippers of synthetic materialin order to save manufacturing costs and to use separate metal fittingsembedded in the two members of the clipper body. However, syntheticmaterial in a suitable toughness is relatively flexible in comparison totypically employed metallic materials. In addition, the cutting edgesmeeting each other in a line-shaped manner may not find very preciseguideways in a separate clipper body, even if it is made of metal, andwithout said guideway, a proper cut may not possible.

[0003] It is, therefore, the objective of this invention to design nailclippers according to the concept of patent claim 1 such that thecutting edges can find precise guideways, at least when the edges meet,which will make the respective clippers also suitable for cuttingrelatively thick nails.

[0004] This objective is basically achieved through the characteristicfeatures of claim 1. The subclaims offer additional advantageous designoptions.

[0005] The engagement of the bent segments at the members of the clipperbody that enclose the ends of the members of the spring sectioninevitably produces a precise guideway when the cutting edges meet. Anadditional improvement of the guideway is accomplished when, accordingto claim 7, the two ends on the back side of the two members of theclipper body are guided in relation to one another as well.

[0006] Although mention is made here of nail clippers, the use of thisterm shall, of course, not exclude the application for pedicureclippers.

[0007] A preferred exemplary embodiment of such nail clippers isdescribed in greater detail below based on the figures, wherein

[0008]FIG. 1 shows an over-head view of the respective nail clippers inits typical size, where those portions of the metal fitting that arecovered in this view are indicated by a broken line.

[0009]FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the clippers, where all of itsindividual components can be recognized.

[0010]FIG. 3 shows in great magnification a section through the cuttingsegment of the clippers approximately along the line III-III of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 each show an over-head view of theclippers similar to FIG. 1, however, with the rear section, appearingcut open and where the clippers are shown in different situations ofuse.

[0012] As can best be recognized in FIG. 2, the shown nail clippersexhibit a clipper body 2 made up of two separate members 4 and 6 of theclipper body, a metal fitting 8 with cutting edges 10 formed on thefitting, a two-member physical pivot consisting of a screw 12 and a nut14 as well as a lock with a catch 16, an axis bolt 18 and a helicaltorsion spring 20.

[0013] The two members 4 and 6 of the clipper body can be joined usingthe screw 12 and the nut 14 by inserting the nut 14, which is providedwith a shaft section 22, into corresponding holes 24 or 26 of therespective members 4 and 6 of the clipper body, with the members beingplaced on top of one another and then fastened with the screw 12 that isscrewed in from the other side.

[0014] As can be noticed, in addition to the thread section 28, thescrew 12 exhibits a flat head 32 that is provided with two holes 30,where said flat head is positioned in a corresponding recess 34 ofmember 4 of the clipper body. Similarly, in addition to its shaftsection 22, the nut 14 exhibits a flat head 36 that is positioned in acorresponding recess (not visible in the figure) of member 6 of theclipper body.

[0015] To lock the screw 12 in relation to the nut 14, the shaft section22 of the nut 14 has two flat sections 38 opposite to one another in itsouter end section, where the flat sections fit corresponding flatsections 40 in the hole 24 of member 4 of the clipper body, and where onthe bottom side of the head 32 of the screw 12 a diagonal fin 42 isprovided that comes to rest in one of a multitude of grooves 44 at thebottom of the recess 34. Of course, in deviation from this embodiment,the nut 14 could also be integrated in member 4 of the clipper body.

[0016] The metal fitting 8, which is made of spring plate, exhibits abow-shaped, or more precisely, a basically U-shaped spring section 46with bends 50 on the ends of its members 48, where said bends arealigned to one another. Furthermore, the ends of the members 48 haveholes 52 to fasten the fitting in the clipper body 2.

[0017] The fitting 8 is placed in a corresponding recess 54 of theclipper body 2 such that the top 56 of the spring section 46 surroundsthe shaft section 22 of the nut 14. As shown, especially in FIG. 3, therespective front end sections 58 and 60 of members 4 and 6 of theclipper body are designed such that they surround the ends of members 48of the spring section 46 on their outer side. Anchoring pins 62 locatedon the inner side of the end sections 58 and 60 penetrate through theholes 52 of the ends of members 48. In addition, the end sections 58 and60 exhibit joining bends 64 and 66 located on the opposite side of thebends 50 of the fitting 8, and together with the bends 50 form a trap 68for the nail and skin clippings cut off using cutting edges 10.

[0018] As can be seen from FIG. 3, bends 64 and 66 engage fittingly whenthe clippers are closed with a groove 70 and a tongue 72 in order tosecurely guide the end sections 58 and 60 and with them the cuttingedges 10 when they meet. This is done in particular with the idea thatthe body 2 of the clippers is preferably made of synthetic material and,therefore, will exhibit a certain elasticity in comparison to a clipperbody made of metal, which is not to be neglected.

[0019] The two members 4 and 6 of the clipper body receive additionalreciprocal guideways by the locking mechanism mentioned above. In thisinstance, the catch 16 that is held in a pivoting manner by means of theaxis bolt 18 in the member 4 of the clipper body, is supportedappropriately on the side in respective recesses 74 or 76 (FIG. 4) ofthe two members 4 and 6 of the clipper body, such that the latter maynot be set apart from one another.

[0020] Surrounding axis bolt 18, spring 20 is positioned in acorresponding recess 78 of the catch 16. It rests on the catch as wellas on member 4 of the clipper body in a manner that is attempting toswing the catch towards the outside.

[0021] Remarkably, the catch 16 does not leave the recess 78 in member 6of the clipper body, even when the clippers are opened as shown in FIG.6. With fully closed clippers (FIG. 4), the catch 16 with its protrusion80 can be pressed into an engaging indentation 82 forming an undercut atthe recess 76, where it is held back due to the influence of theexpansion spring force effective at the clipper body 2 on the side ofthe metal fitting 8. To open the clippers, initially the rear members 84and 86 of members 4 and 6 of the clipper body must be pressed togetherslightly even further (FIG. 5), which will release the protrusion 80from the undercut of the engaging indentation 82, and the spring 20 willswing the catch 16 outward. The spring section 46 of the metal fitting 8will carry out the further opening. However, member 6 of the clipperbody will be held back by the catch 16 in the position shown in FIG. 6,because the protrusion 80 will strike a shoulder 88 at the end of theindentation 76, while a striking surface 90 on the inside of theindentation 76 will prevent the catch 16 from swinging out further.

[0022] As can be seen in FIG. 3 as well, this makes sharpening of thecutting edges 10 easy, due to the fact that the bends 50 are slanted atan obtuse angle such that sharpening can be performed from the outsideat the top of the slanted angle.

[0023] If the cutting edges are worn or can no longer be sharpened, thefitting 8 can be replaced easily, requiring only the loosening of screw12 and separating the two members 4 and 6 of the clipper body.

[0024] It is understood that the clipper body 2, especially in its reararea, may be designed differently from the design presented, for examplewith a curve. Various deviations are also possible, for example, withregard to support and locking, if a locking mechanism is to be provided.

1. Nail clippers with a two-member clipper body (2) and a bow-shapedspring section (46) placed into said clipper body and exhibiting a metalfitting (8) that exhibits at the end of its members (48) the bends (50)forming the cutting edges (10), characterized in that the two members(4, 6) of the clipper body surround the ends (48) of the members of thespring section (46) on the outside, that they meet on the side oppositeto the bends (50) that form the cutting edges, and in that respectexhibit fitting, engaging bends (64, 66).
 2. Nail clippers as set forthin claim 1, characterized in that the bow-shaped spring section (46)surrounds a physical rotational axis (12, 14) of the clipper body (2).3. Nail clippers as set forth in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that thebends (50) of the metal fitting (8) that form the cutting edges areslanted at an obtuse angle and that the cutting edges (10) aremanufactured by grinding from the outside at the top of the slantedangle.
 4. Nail clippers as set forth in one of the previous claims,characterized in that the ends (48) of the members of the spring section(46) exhibit end sections (58, 60) of the members (4, 6) of the clipperbody in a surrounding manner on the outside and anchoring pins (62) onthe inside that penetrate through respective break-throughs (52) ofthese ends of the members.
 5. Nail clippers as set forth in one of theprevious claims, characterized in that the bends (64, 66) on the outsideof the end sections (58, 60) of the members (4, 6) of the clipper bodythat surround the ends of the members (48) of the spring sections (46)together with the bends (50) forming the cutting edges of the metalfitting (8) form a trap (68) for the respective nail and skin clippings.6. Nail clippers as set forth in one of the previous claims,characterized in that the two-member clipper body (2) exhibits on itsback end, an easy to open locking mechanism (16-20, 74-90) that iscapable of keeping the pliers closed on the side of its metal fitting(8) near the closing position against the force of its expansion spring.7. Nail clippers as set forth in claim 6, characterized in that thelocking mechanism exhibits a catch (16) supported in a pivoting mannerby member (4) of the clipper body, where said catch (16) is received bya corresponding recess (76) of the other member (6) of the clipper bodyin such a manner that the two members (4, 6) of the clipper body remainaligned to one another at least near the closed position despite acertain flexibility.
 8. Nail clippers as set forth in claim 7,characterized in that the catch (16) cannot leave the respective recess(76) even when the clippers are open.
 9. Nail clippers as set forth inone of the claims 6 through 8, characterized in that in the closedposition of the clippers, the catch (16) can be pressed into an undercutof an engaging indent (82) with a spring force trying to push it out.10. Nail clippers as set forth in one of the previous claims,characterized in that the members (4, 6) of the clipper body andpossibly other components (12, 14, 16), with the exception of the metalfitting (8), are made of synthetic material.